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(No Model.) 55115555411555 1 E; THEI-SEN. APPARATUS FOR EVAPQRATING ANDCONDENSING LIQ UIDS. No. 538,556. Patented Apr. 50, 1895.

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E. THEISEN. APPARATUS-FOR EVAPORATING AND GONDENSING LIQUIDS. No.538,555. Patented Apr. 30, 1895.

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4 E. THEISEN. APPARATUS FOR EVAPORATING AND GONDENSING LIQUIDS.

No. 538,556. I Patented Apr. 30, 1895.

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E. l THEISE APPARATUS FGR EVAPORATING AN NDENSING LIQUIDS. No. 538,556.Patented Apr. 30, 1895.

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r E. THEISEN. APPARATUS FOR EVAPORATING AND UONDENSING LIQUIDS.

No. 538,556. Patented Apr. 30, 1895.

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Mfg

U ITED STATES tries.

ATENT EDUARD THEISEN, OF BADEN-BADEN, GERMANY.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 538,556, dated April30, 1895.

Application filed March 21 1893. Serial No. 467,056. (No model.)Patented in England September 19, 1892, No. 16,726; in SwitzerlandSeptember 23,1892I No. 5,653,- in France September 28, 1892, No.224,610; in Germany OctoberQ, 1892, No. I?" 78,749; in Austria-HungaryMarch 2, 1893, No. 47,761 and No. 72,033, and in Belgium November 13,1893, No. 107,284.-

To aZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, EDUARD THEISEN, engineer, a citizen of the UnitedStates, residing at Kronprinzenstrasse 4, Baden-Baden, Germany, haveinvented a certain new and useful Apparatus for Evaporating andCondensing Liquids, (for which I have obtained Letters Patent in GreatBritain, dated September 19, 1892, No. 16,726; in Belgium, datedNovember 13, 1893, No. 107,284; in Germany, dated October 9, 1892, No.78,749; in France, dated September 28, 1892, No. 224,610; inAi'istria-Hungary, dated March 2, 1893, N0. 47,761-43/465, and No.72,033-27/377, and in Switzerland, dated September 23, 1892, No. 5,653,)of which the followingis aspecification.

My invention relates to apparatus for producing intimate frictionalaction between liquids and gases by causing the liquids to flow in thinfilms or layers over the inner surfaces of rapidly revolving cylindricalor conical drums While at the same time air, gases, or vapors are causedto flow, while, also subject to centrifugal action, in intimate contactwith such thin layers of liquid, a considerable relative motion being atthe same time made to take place between the two. By this means theparticles of liquid and air, gas or vapor, are subject either to a rapidinterchange of temperature, for effecting the evaporation of the former,or the heating or cooling of the one or the other, or they are caused tobe intimately mixed together, or again, when a mixture of liquid andgases is so heated while subject to a greater or less exhaust, the airor gases may be effectually separated from the liquids, or the gas maybe made to act chemically upon the liquid.

The apparatus may be variously constructed. I will proceed to describesome arrangements thereof by way of illustration with reference to theaccompanying drawings, in Which Figures 1, 2, 3, and 4 show dia rammaticsections of four different arrangemgnts. Fig. 5 shows avertical sectionof an apparatus con; structed according to Fig. 2. Fig. 6 shows avertical section of a modified construction. Fig. 7 shows a partvertical section of a modification of Fig. 7.

In the diagram section at Fig. 1 A A A are three concentric cylinders,made of slightly smaller diameters at the lower ends than at the upperends, and connected by radial arms to a central shaft B suitablysupported in bearings and rotated by a driving shaft Grand bevel gear,so that the cylinders Aare carried round with it. The shaft B has a wormD fixed on it, inclosed in a cylindrical casingE the lower end of whichis supplied through a pipe F with the liquid to be treated, so that bythe .rotation of the worm D the liquid is raised in the casingE and madeto flow from its upper end into an annular trough G carried by theshaftB and from which radial tubes H of varyinglength project to nearthe inner surfaces of the several cylinders A. Thus the liquid that isdelivered into the trough G is thrown by centrifugal force through thetubes H against the lower end of the inner surfaces of the cylinders,and by the rotation of these it is caused to ascend in a thin film in ahelical direction along the slightly outward inclined surfaces thereof.The shaft carries above the upper ends of the cylinders,an air propellerI by means of which air is drawn up from a flue J at the bottomof thecasing K, and is caused to passin intimate frictional contact with thefilm of liquid on each of the cylinders A.

Attheir upper ends the cylinders A are provided with an annular trough Afrom which project radial tubes L, so that as the liquid rises on thecylinders as described it is caught in the troughs A from which it isdischarged by centrifugal force through the tubes L against the sides ofthe casing K, down which it then flows to the bottom, where it is againconveyed by tubular channels M to the casing, E, to be again raised bythe worm and subjected to the above described treatment; or

the liquid when sufficiently concentrated or otherwise acted upon, canbe discharged through the pipe F or through another pipe.

The air or gas in being carried round in the 5 annular spaces betweenthe cylinders A will also be subject to centrifugal action, whereby itwill be forcibly pressed against the liquid at the same timethat ittravels along the same.

It will be readily seen that the above described method of operating maybe applied to a variety of purposes. Thus assuming that there exists adifierence of temperature between the air or other gas entering theapparatus and the liquid the intimate frictional contact between the twowill produce, an effective interchange of heat and evaporation orconcentration of the liquid, or the liquid may be made to take up acertain proportionof the gases in contact therewith, or a chem icalaction may be set up between the liquid and the gas.

Fig. 2 shows a vertical section of another arrangement, in which thecylinders A instead of being enlarged toward the upper end are enlargedtoward the lower end. 7 The liquid is in this case supplied from thecasing E to the revolving conical shell G on which it rises bycentrifugal action and from the upper end of which it is thrown, bytubes H on tothe concentric cylinders A, down which it descends by thecombined action of centrifugal force and gravity and from the trough Aat the lower end of which it is thrown through the tubes L against theouter casing K. The air or other gas to be brought into frictionalcontact with the liquid is drawn up from the flue J by means of an airpropeller communicating with the upper flue J. Fig. 3 shows the samearrangement of the cylinders A, but with the liquid supplied thereto atthe upper end from a vessel G fixed on the upper end of the shaft 13 andsupplied by a pipe F.

Fig. 4 shows a vertical section in which the innermost and outermostcylinders A A are enlarged toward their upper ends, while the middle oneA is enlarged toward the lower end, so that theliquid is first made totravel upward on the inner cylinder A, is then thrown on to the upperend of the middle cylinder A on which it travels downward, and from thelower end of which it is thrown on to the lower end of the outercylinder A in which it travels upward again and from the upper end ofwhich it is thrown on to the casing. The spaces between the cylinders A,A and A are inclosed at top by an annular cap N, and the space between Aand A is separated at bottom from that between A and A by troughs O Oand within the cylinder A are fixed helical blades P while on outersurfaces of all three cylinders are fixed helical blades P P P, so thatair or other gas entering the closed casing K through the inlet J attop, is first made to pass downward through the inside of cylinder A, bythe action of the blades P, then upward between A and A and thendownward again between A and A by the action of the blades P. By thusbringing one and the same body of liquid into long continued andrepeated contact with one and the same body of gas, if necessary underpressure (the openings Q and R of the casing being closed) either theliquid may be made to absorb a greater or less quantity of the gases, orthe latter may be made to act chemically upon the liquid, or the liquidmay be made to give up gascscontained therein, the gases being,according tothe nature of the operation, either introduced into thecasing K through the opening Q and discharged through the opening R orvice versa.

Fig. 5 shows a vertical section of a practical construction of theapparatus similar to that described with reference to the diagram Fig.2, the apparatus being here supposed to be applied to the evaporation ofa liquid by being brought into intimate frictional contact with hot airor hot; combustion gases. A A are, as before, two concentric metalcylinders, made slightly larger in diameter at the lower ends than atthe upper ends. They are supported from the central shaft B by means ofa cap R fixed on the latter, to brackets S S fixed on which thecylinders are attached by bolts T T. The shaft has fixed upon it a wormD inclosed in a cylinder E, the upper end of which carries a neck bear.-ing for the shaft whose lower end is carried in a step bearing U- Itreceives rapid rotary motion by bevel gearing from a driving shaft 0.The cylinder E communicates at its lower end with a horizontal cylinderE in which are right and left handed worms D driven by the shaft 0 whichconvey the liquid falling from the cylinders A back to the worm D.Surrounding the upper end of the cylinder E is a conical shell G, thelower part of which is conveniently formed integral with the casting Rwhile the upper part is formed of thin sheet metal. The liquid raised bythe worm D is discharged through the lateral openings of the cylinder Eonto the cone G, on the sides of which it is made to rise by centrifugalaction so as to be thrown by the pipes H H at the upper end of the conepartly on to the recessed upper end of the cylinder A and partly on tothat of the cylinder A. From these parts of the cylinders the liquid isthen made to descend in a thin film,partly by gravity and partly bycentrifugal action, along the surfaces of the cylinders, the portionthereof which is not evaporated being intercepted at the lower end by aseries of half round troughs A by which it is discharged into theannular space V in the casing K. Here it is caught up by inclinedgutters W which lead it to openings E through which it passes into thetube E to be again raised and submitted to the above describedevaporating action.

The cone G is surrounded by acylinder G fixed thereto and upon the outersurface of this cylinder are fixed a number of helical vanes P, whileother helical vanes P are fixed upon the outer surface of the cylinderA.

Hot air or hot combustion gases being introduced through an opening Jinto the central space X of the apparatus, such air or gases are drawnupward by the action of the vanes P P through the annular spaces betweenG and A and A and A, and are at the same time thrown by centrifugalaction into close frictional contact with the film of liquid descendingupon the surfaces of A A, where by an effective interchange oftemperature and consequent evaporation of the liquid will be effected,the resulting gases charged with vapor being then made to pass upward toa surface condenser situated either above or at some otherpoint. Any ofthe liquid that may drop down from the cylinder A is caught by a pan Yat the bottom of the central space, whence it is discharged by a pipe Yinto a suitable receptacle. from the cylinder A is directed by the apronW into the gutter W. The escape of the hot gases through the annularspace between the cylinder A and the casing K is prevented by apartition Z fixed to the latter.

Fig. 6 shows a modification of the above described arrangement in which,firstly, there is only a single cylinder A on to which the liquid isdelivered from the cone, and, secondly, the distributing cone G isdivided into two separate parts that are made to revolve in oppositedirections. For this purpose the shaft B is surrounded by a tubularshaft B driven by thegearing in the contrary direction to B and to whichis attached the lower part of the cone G and cylinder at by means ofarms b b and bolts 0 0, while the upper part G of the cone and cylinderAare connected to the shaft B by arms d d and bolts 6 e, and consequentlythese parts revolve in the contrary direction tothe parts G and a. Withthis arrangement it will be seen that the liquid supplied by the worm Dto the lower cone G will be delivered from the upper edge of the latterwith a certain circumferential velocity in one direction on to the loweredge of the cone G revolving in the contrary direction. The resulthereof will be that in raising up the cone G by centrifugal actiontheliquid will first require to have the circumferential velocityimparted to it by G checked and neutralized before it can begin tofollow the direction of the circular motion of G, and the consequencehereof will be that when it arrives at the upper edge of G it will nothave had sufficient time to acquire the circumferential velocitythereof, so that the centrifugal force with which it is thrown againstthe cylinder A from the pipes H will be very considerably less than itwould be in the preceding case where the liquid while traveling up thesurface of the cone G will have time to acquire the full circumferentialspeed thereof and thus the violent splashing of the liquid against thecylinder is prevented and its uniform distribution over the surfacethereof is insured. The liquid arriving at the bottom of the cylinder Apasses Any liquid that drips away through spouts f delivering it ontothe gutter W as before. The other parts of the apparatus are the same aspreviously described.

Fig. 7 shows a part vertical section of a modification of the precedingarrangement in which some of the liquid is delivered from the cone Gthrough pipes H on to the surface of the casing K so as to flow down thesame in the same way as down the cylinder A. In this case the hot air orgases are of course made to pass from the central space X also to theannular space between the cylinder A and the casing, the former beingprovided with external helical vanes P by which such hot gases are bothpropelled upward and thrown forcibly in contact with the liquid flowingdown the casing.

Having described my invention, what I claim is 1. In apparatus forbringing liquids and gases into intimate frictional contact with eachother, the combination of an upright revolving tubular shell, means forsupplying the upper end of the inner surface of said shell with liquidwhich is caused by gravity and centrifugal action to flow in a thin filmdownward over the surface of the shell, and blades or fans revolvingconcentrically with the shell for causing a supply of air or gases torise into the lower end of the shell and be thrown by centrifugal forcein contact with the layer of liquid on the shell and upward over thesame in the contrary direction to the flow of the liquid, substantiallyas described.

2. In apparatus for bringing liquids and gases into intimate contactwith each other, the combination of an upright revolving tubular shellA, a concentric conical shell G over the inner surface of which liquidis caused to rise by centrifugal action, nozzles H at the upper end ofthe shell G through which the liquid raised is thrown on to theinner'surface of the shell A so as to flow down the same in a thin film,and centrifugal blades P which propel air or gases rising into the lowerend of the shell A against the film of liquid thereon and cause it tofiow upward in close contactwith theliquid,substantiallyas described.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification, in thepresence of two subscribing witnesses, this 16th day of February, A. D.1893.

EDUARD THEISEN.

W i t n ess es:

ERNEST THERIOR, FRANZ FLEMMANN,

Engineer.

ICO

